Indiana officials react to Trump’s decision to end DACA

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Above: IndyCAN held a press conference Tuesday with local immigrant families and DACA recipients to speak out against President Trump’s decision.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – There are strong reactions across the nation today after the Trump administration announced its decision to end DACA, an Obama-era policy protecting undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children.

Among those reacting to the termination of the program are local officials and businessmen. Below is a compilation of those statements.

Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.)

“I continue to believe we must secure our southern border and fix our broken immigration system. Irrespective of today’s announcement, that requires a bipartisan solution in Congress that reforms our legal immigration system, prevents illegal immigration, and addresses the question of what to do with undocumented men, women and children already here.”

“DACA is an Obama decree supported by liberal elites who pick and choose what laws they want to enforce. They don’t respect the Constitution so they undermine the rule of law, the American people, and the legislative process. President Trump and Vice President Pence are imposing a six month delay on repealing DACA which will give Congress the opportunity to create effective policy. I am committed to policy that is truly humane for law abiding Americans. DACA currently incentivizes unaccompanied minors to flood across our borders—that is neither humane nor compassionate. We need to build the wall, fix the broken system, and deport violent felons from our country.”

Rep. Susan Brooks (R-Ind.)

“The dissolving of DACA will not take place for another six months, giving Congress time to work to provide these kids who are woven into our communities, the reassurance that they will be able to continue living their lives as they always have. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to find a compassionate resolution that will not punish children for the actions of their parents. Sending these children back to countries they are not familiar with is not the solution.”

This issue further emphasizes my continued belief that we must focus on reforming our nation’s broken immigration system. It is essential that our immigration system be reflective of our national interests while keeping Americans safe.”

Rep. Luke Messer (R-Ind.)

“Hoosiers want us to follow the Constitution and uphold our immigration laws. President Trump’s decision today is a step toward finally addressing illegal immigration in our country. Let’s remember, President Obama’s decision to unilaterally rewrite our laws was illegal. Now, Congress has its chance to pass legislation that secures our border, restores rule of law and delivers on our promises to the American people. The details of any legislation addressing DACA’s phase out will matter, and I am eager to get to work on a solution.”

Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.)

“President Trump is fulfilling a campaign pledge by reasserting that Congress, not the executive branch, has the constitutional role of setting our country’s immigration policy. President Obama never had the legal authority to change our nation’s immigration laws.

Congress must seize this opportunity and pass a solution that modernizes our outdated immigration policies, finally secures our border and increases enforcement to reduce illegal immigration. There is a path forward for Congress to fix our broken immigration system and resolve this situation, as President Trump has said, ‘with heart.’”

Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.)

“Today, President Trump turned his back on hundreds of thousands of fellow Americans who have only known this country as their home.

His decision to end DACA will tear families apart, make our families and communities less safe and deal a devastating blow to our nation’s economy.

Congress must immediately put politics aside and move to provide a permanent and fair solution for immigrants who arrived in the United States as children, including the nearly 10,000 DREAMers living in Indiana. DREAMers are not political bargaining chips; instead, we must keep our promise to the nearly 800,000 DACA recipients who stepped out of the shadows, applied for the program, and made meaningful contributions to their communities. While Congress needs to immediately address the DACA program, I will continue to fight for the comprehensive immigration reform which our nation so urgently needs.”

Cummins Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger

“The decision by the Trump Administration to rescind DACA is discriminatory, harmful and sets our country back. These young people deserve every opportunity to continue living, working, and thriving in the United States – for nearly all of them the U.S. is the only country they have ever known. This is their home.

Dreamers are our colleagues, our friends and our neighbors. They strengthen our country through daily contributions to our companies, our universities and our communities. We have a moral obligation to help these young people, protect them from living in fear, and to prevent families from being torn apart.

Cummins stands in full support of Dreamers and we ask Congress to take immediate action to pass the Dream Act or find a permanent legislative solution to support these young people before anyone is affected by this decision.

We hope that Americans speak out and make it clear to Congress and the President that we stand with the Dreamers.”

Indiana University President Michael McRobbie

“Indiana University is deeply disappointed in the Trump administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, especially in light of the administration’s prior statements expressing support for young people protected by DACA and the strong bipartisan support that exists nationwide for maintaining the program.

“We thank House Speaker Paul Ryan and other important national leaders who have expressed their support for DACA immigrants, and we join those individuals and organizations that urge swift, fair and compassionate congressional action in the next six months to codify the provisions of the DACA policy into law and remove any question of uncertainty for the roughly 800,000 beneficiaries enrolled in the program. During this time, we will work vigorously with our state’s congressional delegation and others to enact a thoughtful policy that will meet the needs of IU’s DACA students and our state.

“We also want to assure all DACA students that we remain fully committed to ensuring a welcoming, safe and civil community for all IU students. As outlined on our DACA @ IU website, IU can and will take several steps to continue supporting all IU students, regardless of personal characteristics or documentation, that are within the bounds of the federal and state laws that bind us as a public institution. The administration’s latest announcement also leaves many questions unanswered, and we will make every effort to better understand the decision and how we can continue to help our students.

“Our university will not waver in its longstanding commitment to the diverse and inclusive environment that is vital to an excellent education.

“We believe that all of our students, regardless of their background or country of origin, bring to our campuses unique perspectives and experiences that enrich our living and learning communities. In doing so, they reflect who we are — and what we strive to be — as a university that provides all students with the opportunity to expand their knowledge and succeed in a place where they feel valued, respected and at home.

“Since the inception of DACA in 2012, IU has seen the many benefits of this program. As they pursue educational opportunities across a wide variety of disciplines, DACA beneficiaries make a substantial positive impact on our campuses and in the Indiana communities they call home. As these bright, talented and high-achieving students and alumni work and study here, they contribute greatly toward strengthening the civic, cultural, social and economic fabric of our state.

“Ending the DACA program will undermine IU’s ability to educate our students to prepare them for a lifetime of informed and active global citizenship. Nevertheless, we remain strongly committed to creating a supportive and welcoming environment for students from all backgrounds and from all parts of the globe.”

Indiana Democratic Party Chairman John Zody

“Today, the Trump administration turned its back on hard-working immigrant families and students who only know this country as their home. In Indiana, nearly 9,000 DACA beneficiaries contribute more than $500 million in economic activity to the Hoosier economy. They are small business owners, entrepreneurs and they are vitally important to our state’s economic engine. We know there is much work to be done to fix our broken immigration system. Subtracting half a billion dollars in GDP from the state’s economy won’t help in that aim, nor will building walls instead of bridges. We urge Congress to work together to find a bipartisan solution.”